ACLU Reaches Settlement With Justice Dept. Over Police Clearing Lafayette Square Protest
WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union and the Justice Department announced a settlement last week in four lawsuits resulting from police forcibly expelling protesters from Washington, D.C.’s, Lafayette Square in June 2020.
The confrontation was a prelude to former President Donald Trump walking to a nearby church across from the White House to hold up a Bible for an awkward photo opportunity.
Under the settlement, police must revise their procedures for clearing crowds. They also must wear identification that clearly shows they are police.
The ACLU and Black Lives Matter accused police and the Trump administration in their federal lawsuit of an “unprovoked and frankly criminal attack” on demonstrators.
Police used horses, batons, shields, pepper spray, smoke canisters and rubber or plastic projectiles to clear away the largely peaceful protesters to make way for the president.
Their lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia alleges violations of their First Amendment rights of free speech and assembly. The demonstrators said they were in Lafayette Square to protest the death of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The lawsuit was brought by the ACLU of the District of Columbia, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
Other provisions of the settlement require Park Police to open a safe pathway for demonstrators to exit while clearing a public gathering. They must announce clear, audible warnings.
The Park Police will not be allowed to revoke demonstration permits absent “clear and present danger to the public safety.” The Secret Service will not have “blanket grounds” to use force on a crowd when only a few people are engaging in unlawful activities, court documents that describe the settlement say.
Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said in a statement, “These changes to agency policies for protest responses will strengthen our commitment to protecting and respecting constitutionally protected rights.”
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